Reduced levels of endogenous steroid hormones in humans often lead to a variety of undesirable clinical symptoms. For example, low testosterone levels in men (hypogonadism) may result in clinical symptoms including impotence, lack of sex drive, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis. Similarly, in women, reduced levels of testosterone and/or estrogen may result in female sexual disorder, which include clinical symptoms such as lack of sex drive, lack of arousal or pleasure, decreased energy levels or fatigue with blunted motivation, flat mood or depression, reduced sense of well-being, insomnia, irritability, partial decreases in vaginal lubrication, and osteoporosis. Moreover, reduced levels of estrogen and/or progesterone in women, as observed during menopause, often result in clinical symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal atrophy, decreased libido, and osteoporosis.
Testosterone has historically been thought of as a male hormone, but it is also synthesized in women in small amounts, primarily by the ovaries and adrenal glands. The physiological functions of testosterone in women include, among others, development of pubic and axillary hair, sexual libido; effects on bone density and muscle tone, sexual libido, and overall vitality and sense of psychological well-being. Testosterone plasma concentrations in pre-menopausal women normally fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, with the total testosterone plasma concentrations generally ranging between about 15 ng/dL and about 65 ng/dL. However, in the years leading to post-menopause, levels of circulating testosterone begin to decline, generally thought to be due to age-related reductions in ovarian and adrenal secretion. Generally, women with testosterone deficiency have total testosterone levels of less than about 20-25 ng/dL, while oophorectomized women can have testosterone levels of less than about 10 ng/dL.
In the National health and Social Life Survey of over 1,700 women aged 18-59, 43% acknowledged a form of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). See, e.g., Laumann et al.: Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictors; JAMA, 281: 537-544 (1999).
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), the most common women's sexual problem, is a condition characterized by the lack or absence of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity which causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulties. The sexual dysfunction is not accounted for by another psychiatric disorder nor is it a result of direct physiological effects of a substance (i.e., drug abuse) or a general medical condition.
Anorgasmia, the second most frequently reported women's sexual problem, is considered to be the persistent or recurrent delay in, or absence of, orgasm following a normal sexual excitement phase, causing marked distress or interpersonal difficulty. When a woman has sexual activity that is not accompanied by good quality orgasmic release, sexual activity may become a chore or a duty rather than a mutually satisfying, intimate experience. This may also lead to secondary loss of sexual interest and/or interpersonal difficulties.
Hypoactive sexual disorder disease and anorgasmia affect millions of women in the United States.
Sexual response is a complex and finely tuned process that can be disrupted at various time points in the reproductive life cycle (pre and postpartum, peri and postmenopausal) which likely accounts for the high prevalence of reported sexual dysfunction in the general population of healthy women. See, e.g., Laumann et al., Supra.
It is hypothesized that testosterone has central and peripheral effects on sexual function. The decline of androgen levels following surgically induced menopause has supported the hypothesis that a decrease in testosterone levels is related to a decrease in sexual desire. Testosterone, the primary circulation androgen in women, is a naturally occurring steroid. In women, androgens are derived from three sources: the adrenal glands, the ovaries and peripheral conversion. Androgens are secreted by the ovaries and the adrenal glands. Contrary to the sudden drop in estrogen during menopause, serum levels of androgens fall gradually as women age, primarily due to a decrease in the production of adrenal androgen precursors. See, e.g. Goldstat et al.: Transdermal testosterone therapy improves well-being, mood, and sexual function in pre-menopausal women; Menopause, 10(5): 390-398 (2003). As indicated above, this is likely due to a decline in ovarian and adrenal function with age.
A recent cross sectional study in woman ages 18-75 shows that total and free testosterone levels significantly decrease with age starting in the early reproductive years. In contrast to naturally occurring menopause, women who have undergone bilateral oopherectomy experience a dramatic decline in testosterone production with levels decreasing as much as 50%.
It has been reported that testosterone plays a role in mood, body composition, and bone mineral density and has central and peripheral effects on sexual function. See, e.g., Davis et al.: Androgen replacement in women: a commentary; Menopause, J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 84(6): 1886-1891 (1999); and Goldstat et al., Supra. In the periphery, testosterone is required for nitric oxide to stimulate vasocongestion for the engorgement of clitoral tissue and vaginal lubrication during sexual arousal.
Recent studies have shown that testosterone is effective in increasing the number of sexually satisfying events, increasing sexual desire and decreasing personal distress in bilaterally oophorectomized and hysterectomized women suffering from HSDD.
Central effects of testosterone are less well characterized. Testosterone stimulates dopamine release in various brain structures implicated in motivation and reward systems, including sexual desire. Testosterone was found to stimulate dopamine release in the medial preoptic area of the anterior hypothalamus under basal conditions and with sexual stimulation in rats. See, e.g., Halaris A.: Neurochemical aspects of the sexual response cycle; CNS Spectrums, 9: 211-216 (2003). An fMRI study in healthy women of different ages showed a testosterone level dependent modulation of amygdala activity, suggesting that an age-related decline in androgen levels contributes to the decrease in amygdala reactivity. In addition, it has been reported that a decreased amygdala reactivity in older women may be restored to levels of young women with intranasal exogenous testosterone. See e.g., van Wingen et al.: Testosterone increases amygdala reactivity in middle-aged women to a young adulthood level; Neuropsychopharmacology, February: 34(3) 539-547 (2009).
The use of androgens to increase women's sexual libido was reported in 1940 by Loeser. Salmon (1942) observed that a number of young, married women who formerly considered themselves “frigid” were able to experience “a marked increase in coital gratification, culminating in an orgasm” after testosterone propionate injections. The effects wore off within several weeks after the discontinuation of the injections. See, e.g., Traish et al.: Testosterone therapy in women with gynecological and sexual disorders: a triumph of clinical endocrinology from 1938 to 2008; J Sex Med 4:609-619 (2009). In the 1980s, the role of androgens in maintaining sexual function was studied in oophrectomized women. See, e.g., Sherwin et al.: The role of androgen in the maintenance of sexual functioning in oophorectomized women; Psychosomatic Medicine, 49:397-409 (1987). In the Sherwin et al. study, a three (3) month prospective open-label study of 44 women, it was reported that monthly injections of estrogen and testosterone increased rates of sexual desire, sexual arousal, and number of fantasies. It was further reported in the Sherwin et al. study that rates of intercourse and orgasm were higher in women treated with androgens and estrogen compared to the controls.
Over the past two decades, over 80 studies have been conducted in post-menopausal women with HSDD using exogenous testosterone through the oral, transdermal, sublingual or parental route of administration with or without concomitant estrogen therapy, in which some degree of an increase in sexual desire, arousal, frequency of satisfactory sexual activity, pleasure and responsiveness was allegedly observed. See, Traish et al. Supra, 2009.
Fewer studies have been performed in pre-menopausal women with low libido. Goldstat et al., Supra, apparently studied the effects of transdermal testosterone therapy on well-being, mood and sexual function in eugonadal, pre-menopausal women presenting with low libido. Testosterone therapy resulted in statistically significant improvements in the composite scores of the Psychological General Well-Being Index, the Sabbatsberg Sexual Self-Rating Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory when compared with placebo. These effects were found while the mean total testosterone levels were in the low end of the normal range before treatment, and at the high end of the normal range during treatment. On the different sub-scales of the Sabbatsberg Sexuality Scale, however, there was a significant effect of testosterone treatment on orgasm. This study suggests that, although most previous studies with testosterone have addressed decreased sexual desire in post-menopausal women, there are also measurable effects in pre-menopausal women both on general sexual well-being and on orgasm specifically.
Intrinsa® is a testosterone slow-release transdermal patch. Intrinsa® is indicated for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in bilaterally oophorectomized and hysterectomized (surgically induced menopause) women receiving concomitant estrogen therapy. Clinical studies using Intrinsa® have shown enhancement of sexual desire and number of satisfactory sexual events with mild androgenic skin effects as the primary safety concern in post-menopausal women with HSDD. See, e.g., Shifren et al.: Transdermal testosterone treatment in women with impaired sexual function after oophorectomy; N Eng N Med, 343(10): 682-688 (2000); Braunstein et al.: Safety and efficacy of a testosterone patch for the treatment of hypoacytive sexual desire disorder in surgically menopausal women: a randomized placebo-controlled trial; Arch Intern Med, 165(14): 1582-1589 (2005); Buster et al.: Testosterone Patch for low sexual desire in surgically menopausal women: a randomized trial; Obstet Gynecol, 105(5 Pt 1): 944-952 (2005); Simon et al.: Testosterone patch increases sexual activity and desire in surgically menopausal women with hyposactive sexual desire disorder; J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 90(9) 5226-5233 (2005); Davis et al.: Efficacy and safety of a testosterone patch for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in surgically menopausal women: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial; Menopause, 13(3): 387-396 (2006); and Shifren et al.: Testosterone patch for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in naturally menopausal women: results from the INTIMATE1 study; Menopause, 143:770-779 (2006).
LibiGel is a gel formulation of testosterone that is applied on the upper arm of a female. It is reported that treatment with LibiGel increases the number of satisfying sexual events versus baseline and placebo treated individuals It is further reported that the effective dose of LibiGel produces testosterone blood levels within the normal range for pre-menopausal women. See, e.g., www.libigel.org.
Zestra® is a blend of botanical oils and extracts, including: Borage Seed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Angelica Extract, Coleus Forskohlii Extract, Theobromine, Anti-Oxidants {Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C), Tocopherol (Vitamin E)}; and Flavor (U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,084) that may benefit some women with anorgasmia. Zestra® has demonstrated significant improvements in the measures of desire, arousal and sexual satisfaction in women. See, e.g., www.zestra.com.
ArginMax™ is a mixture of L-arginine, ginseng, ginkgo, damiana, calcium, and iron. ArginMax™ for Women was formulated specifically for women. It contains calcium and iron to help relieve fatigue issues specific to women. The American ginseng in the men's product has been replaced with Damiana, an aromatic herb which helps calm anxiety and induce a relaxed state of mind. ArginMax™ for Women provides 100% of the RDA of vitamins A, C, E and the B-complex vitamins. ArginMax™ safely enhances the female sexual experience by improving circulation. Sufficient blood flow is critical to female arousal, engorgement and lubrication. See, e.g., www.arginimax.com.
In view of the fact that millions of women in the United States, as well as through out the world, suffer from HSDD and anorgasmia, there is a real and immediate need for an effective medical therapy that can treat these diseases, so that the quality of life of these individuals can be improved. One therapeutic goal of such therapy to solve this immediate need might be to restore testosterone levels in women to young adulthood levels or to at least the natural pre-menopausal state in hopes to alleviate the symptoms generally associated with HSDD and/or anaorgasmia due possibly to testosterone deficiency.